The first racist tattoo Michael Kent got were the words “white pride,” spanning the top of his back.
Then came the two swastikas — one in the center of his chest — that stained his skin for over 20 years, ABC News reported.
Kent used to be a white supremacist.
“I was part of a skinhead group,” Kent, who lives in Colorado, told ABC. “A very violent group.”
He believed strongly in the organization’s ideals. For instance, Kent refused to work for anybody — or even with anybody — who wasn’t white.
But one woman made him rethink everything.
Tiffany Whittier, who is black, became his parole officer. Meeting her changed his life for good.
She was a positive force in his life and challenged him to rethink how he viewed race and equality.
“I had a German war [Nazi] flag, and she said, ‘You need to take that crap down and start putting up more positive stuff!’” Kent told ABC News. “‘Put up smiley faces so when you wake up, you see positive instead of hate.’”
Her encouragement worked; Kent’s outlook and attitudes have changed dramatically since befriending Whittier.
It’s not necessarily surprising, either — this change in mindset goes hand-in-hand with research. A 2014 study, for example, found that when white people interact with more people of color, they’re less likely to hold racist views.
“If it wasn’t for her, I probably would have been seeped back into [white supremacy],” Kent explained. “I look at her as family.”
Now, Kent’s “white pride” and swastika tattoos have been removed by Redemption Ink, a nonprofit that offers free removals of hate-inspired designs to patrons. All of his coworkers at the Colorado chicken farm where he works — as well as most of his friends — are people of color.
“We have company parties, or they have quinceaneras, BBQs, or birthday parties — I’m the only white guy there,” Kent said.
Whittier modestly brushed off the affect she’s had on Kent: “My job is to be that positive person in someone’s life,” she said. “[I] try to make a difference.”
But to Kent — a father to two young children — Whittier’s nothing short of heroic. “She gave me the strength and the courage to do what I’m doing,” he said. “She gave me a chance, and it opened my eyes.”
ABC News facilitated a surprise reunion between the two, who hadn’t seen each other in over a year.
Whittier was in on the plan, but Kent — who seemed a bit lost for words as he embraced her in a hug — was beyond excited to see the friend who changed his life forever.
In a small village in Pwani, a district on Tanzania’s coast, a massive dance party is coming to a close. For the past two hours, locals have paraded through the village streets, singing and beating ngombe drums; now, in a large clearing, a woman named Sheilla motions for everyone to sit facing a large projector screen. A film premiere is about to begin.
It’s an unusual way to kick off a film about gender bias, inequality, early marriage, and other barriers that prevent girls from accessing education in Tanzania. But in Pwani and beyond, local organizations supported by Malala Fund and funded by Pura are finding creative, culturally relevant ways like this one to capture people’s interest.
The film ends and Sheilla, the Communications and Partnership Lead for Media for Development and Advocacy (MEDEA), stands in front of the crowd once again, asking the audience to reflect: What did you think about the film? How did it relate to your own experience? What can we learn?
Sheilla explains that, once the community sees the film, “It brings out conversations within themselves, reflective conversations.” The resonance and immediate action create a ripple effect of change.
MEDEA Screening Audience in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
Across Tanzania, gender-based violence often forces adolescent girls out of the classroom. This and other barriers — including child marriage, poverty, conflict, and discrimination — prevent girls from completing their education around the world.
Sheilla and her team are using film and radio programs to address the challenges girls face in their communities. MEDEA’s ultimate goal is to affirm education as a fundamental right for everyone, and to ensure that every member of a community understands how girls’ education contributes to a stronger whole and how to be an ally for their sisters, daughters, granddaughters, friends, nieces, and girlfriends.
Sheilla’s story is one of many that inspired Heart on Fire, a new fragrance from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection that blends the warm, earthy spices of Tanzania with a playful, joyful twist. Here’s how Pura is using scent as a tool to connect the world and inspire action.
A partnership focused on local impact, on a global mission
Pura, a fragrance company that recognizes education as both freedom and a human right, has partnered with Malala Fund since 2022. In order to defend every girl’s right to access and complete 12 years of education, Malala Fund partners with local organizations in countries where the educational barriers are the greatest. They invest in locally-led solutions because they know that those who are closest to the problems are best equipped to solve and build durable solutions, like MEDEA, which works with communities to challenge discrimination against girls and change beliefs about their education.
But local initiatives can thrive and scale more powerfully with global support, which is why Pura is using their own superpower, the power of scent, to connect people around the world with the women and girls in these local communities.
The Pura x Malala Fund Collection incorporates ingredients naturally found in Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Brazil: countries where Malala Fund operates to address systemic education barriers. Eight percent of net revenue from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection will be donated to Malala Fund directly, but beyond financial support, the Collection is also a love letter to each unique community, blending notes like lemon, jasmine, cedarwood, and clove to transport people, ignite their senses, and help them draw inspiration and hope from the global movement for girls’ education. Through scent, people can connect to the courage, joy, and tenacity of girls and local leaders, all while uniting in a shared commitment to education: the belief that supporting girls’ rights in one community benefits all of us, everywhere.
You’ve already met Sheilla. Now see how Naiara and Mama Habiba are building unique solutions to ensure every girl can learn freely and dare to dream.
Naiara Leite is reimagining what’s possible in Brazil
Julia with Odara in Brazil. Captured by Luisa Dorr for Pura
In Brazil, where pear trees and coconut plantations cover the Northeastern Coast, girls like ten-year-old Julia experience a different kind of educational barrier than girls in Tanzania. Too often, racial discrimination contributes to high dropout rates among Black, quilombola and Indigenous girls in the country.
“In the logic of Brazilian society, Black people don’t need to study,” says Naiara Leite, Executive Coordinator of Odara, a women-led organization and Malala Fund partner. Bahia, the state where Odara is based, was once one of the largest slave-receiving territories in the Americas, and because of that history, deeply-ingrained, anti-Black prejudice is still widespread. “Our role and the image constructed around us is one of manual labor,” Naiara says.
But education can change that. In 2020, with assistance from a Malala Fund grant, Odara launched its first initiative for improving school completion rates among Black, quilombola, and Indigenous girls: “Ayomidê Odara”. The young girls mentored under the program, including Julia, are known as the Ayomidês. And like the Pura x Malala Fund Collection’s Brazil: Breath of Courage scent, the Ayomidês are fierce, determined, and bursting with energy.
Ayomidês with Odara in Brazil. Captured by Luisa Dorr for Pura
Ayomidês take part in weekly educational sessions where they explore subjects like education and ethnic-racial relations. The girls are encouraged to find their own voices by producing Instagram lives, social media videos, and by participating in public panels. Already, the Ayomidês are rewriting the narrative on what’s possible for Afro-Brazilian girls to achieve. One of the earliest Ayomidês, a young woman named Debora, is now a communications intern. Another former Ayomidê, Francine, works at UNICEF, helping train the next generation of adolescent leaders. And Julia has already set her sights on becoming a math teacher or a model.
“These are generations of Black women who did not have access to a school,” Naiara says. “These are generations of Black women robbed daily of their dreams. And we’re telling them that they could be the generation in their family to write a new story.”
Mama Habiba is reframing the conversation in Nigeria
Centre for Girls' Education, Nigeria. Captured by James Roh for Pura
In Mama Habiba’s home country of Nigeria, the scents of starfruit, ylang ylang and pineapple, all incorporated into the Pura x Malala Collection’s “Nigeria: Hope for Tomorrow,” can be found throughout the vibrant markets. Like these native scents, Mama Habiba says that the Nigerian girls are also bright and passionate, but too often they are forced to leave school long before their potential fully blooms.
“Some of these schools are very far, and there is an issue of quality, too,” Mama Habiba says. “Most parents find out when their children are in school, the girls are not learning. So why allow them to continue?”
When girls drop out of secondary school, marriage is often the alternative. In Nigeria, one in three girls is married before the age of 18. When this happens, girls are unable to fulfill their potential, and their families and communities lose out on the social, health and economic benefits.
Completing secondary school delays marriage, and according to UNESCO, educated girls become women who raise healthier children, lift their families out of poverty and contribute to more peaceful, resilient communities.
Centre for Girls’ Education, Nigeria. Captured by James Roh for Pura
To encourage young girls to stay in school, the Centre for Girls’ Education, a nonprofit in Nigeria founded by Mama Habiba and supported by Malala Fund and Pura, has pioneered an initiative that’s similar to the Ayomidê workshops in Brazil: safe spaces. Here, girls meet regularly to learn literacy, numeracy, and other issues like reproductive health. These safe spaces also provide an opportunity for the girls to role-play and learn to advocate for themselves, develop their self-image, and practice conversations with others about their values, education being one of them. In safe spaces, Mama Habiba says, girls start to understand “who she is, and that she is a girl who has value. She has the right to negotiate with her parents on what she really feels or wants.”
“When girls are educated, they can unlock so many opportunities,” Mama Habiba says. “It will help the economy of the country. It will boost so many opportunities for the country. If they are given the opportunity, I think the sky is not the limit. It is the starting point for every girl.”
From parades, film screenings to safe spaces and educational programs, girls and local leaders are working hard to strengthen the quality, safety and accessibility of education and overcome systemic challenges. They are encouraging courageous behavior and reminding us all that education is freedom.
Experience the Pura x Malala Fund Collection here, and connect with the stories of real girls leading change across the globe.
Most people have a love-hate relationship with social media these days, but it has provided at least one public service. All those rumors and old wives’ tales that have been flying around for years? People around the world can now put them to the test and compare notes on their findings.
That’s exactly what Eddie, a TikTok user, decided to do on his recent visit to the Hoover Dam.
Putting the theory to the test
The Hoover Dam, located on the border between Nevada and Arizona, isn’t just one of the largest dams in the world. It also has a unique design that makes it recognizable around the world.
And even though the dam can handle some 300,000 gallons of water per second, if you try pouring a bit of your own water over the ledge…well, you can’t. At least, that’s the theory.
In a recent video shared on social media, Eddie writes, “POV you heard you can’t pour water down the Hoover Dam.” He then proceeds to do just that, or at least attempt it.
Eddie walks toward the edge of the dam with a cup of water in hand and tips some of it over the side. Immediately, as if by magic, it begins to levitate and break into droplets. The drops scatter along the face of the dam, with some even splashing back onto Eddie, prompting a joyful chuckle.
According to IFLScience, your results in replicating this trick may vary depending on the day, where you’re standing on the dam, and the conditions.
Simply put, strong winds flow up the wall of the dam, pushing the water upward at high speed and causing it to splash. But it’s not an effect that’s easily replicated at other large, man-made structures. The dam’s design is perfectly suited to this result.
The Hoover Dam is situated above Black Canyon, whose high walls act as a wind funnel on breezy days. Winds in the valley can reach over 50 miles per hour. Naturally, when the air hits the wall of the dam, it has nowhere to go but up.
The wind accelerates up the face of the Hoover Dam because the water at the top cools the air.
So, on windy days, you get an extremely powerful upward draft—sometimes called ridge lift or slope lift—that can make small amounts of water appear to levitate.
Other places that seem to defy nature
The Hoover Dam isn’t a magical anti-gravity spot, but it is unique in the way it harnesses natural forces.
You might have heard of “gravity hills,” which are spots around the world that trick your eyes. These optical illusions make downhill slopes appear to go uphill, leading to some wild experiences—like cars in neutral “rolling uphill.”
Salt Beach, Dead Sea, in Jordanien 🇯🇴 Wusstet ihr, dass das Tote Meer der tiefste Punkt der Erde ist, etwa 430 Meter unter dem Meeresspiegel, und der Salzgehalt so hoch ist, dass man gar nicht untergehen kann? ✨ Konnte es erst nicht glauben, aber man schwebt wirklich und kann sogar ein Buch lesen 📖 #travel#jordan#deadsea#saltbeach#amman
Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, explained that her research has identified one key factor in happiness—and it comes down to conversation and deeper connection with others.
During a TEDNext 2025 presentation, Lyubomirsky explained that she has been a happiness researcher for more than 30 years. In her lab, she has conducted experiments on “happiness interventions” since 1998.
These “interventions” include exercises such as writing letters of gratitude, performing acts of kindness, and “acting” extroverted—all of which led people to feel happier. Her research suggests these activities increase happiness because “they help us feel more connected to and loved by others.”
How to connect with others
Lyubomirsky’s next challenge was to determine how humans can connect most with one another. From touch to dance to eye contact, she noted that these are all valid ways people connect.
But in Western culture, connection often happens through conversation. Still, simply talking with others doesn’t always lead to connection because of the “walls around us.”
“We build those walls to protect ourselves, yet they also keep us from ever letting anyone in,” said Lyubomirsky. “They keep us from becoming truly known.”
To feel more loved, you have to be more known—which means taking down those walls when talking with others.
The 3-step conversation formula
Connecting more deeply with others starts with approaching conversations differently, according to Lyubomirsky. She offers a three-step formula to follow:
Step 1: Share from the heart
“You take down your walls by sharing something real about yourself, not just your highlight reel,” said Lyubomirsky.
The goal is to share deeply and be brave enough to let others see the real you. To do so, she encourages people to pace themselves and start small.
“Don’t immediately share your deepest secret or trauma,” she explained. “If you go deep too fast, everyone’s walls will come right back up again.”
Instead, say something honest—something like, “I’ve had a rough day,” instead of “I’m fine,” she said.
Step 2: Help others lower their walls
This is achieved by listening to learn, not to respond.
“Quiet your voice so theirs can be heard,” explained Lyubomirsky.
To do this, she encourages people to listen as if there’s going to be a quiz tomorrow on what the other person shares.
Step 3: Ask one more question than you usually do
This final step helps build deeper connection. For example, she suggests asking the person you’re speaking with, “How did that really feel?” Such questions signal that you’re right there with them, Lyubomirsky said.
She added, “When was the last time someone asked you a real question about your life? It’s rare. Yet research shows people yearned to be asked, and those who ask questions are better liked.”
Her final note is to keep in mind that sharing and listening go hand in hand. “If you only share, it’s a monologue. If you only listen, it’s an interview,” Lyubomirsky said. “But when you do both, that’s when the magic happens.”
In this weakening economy, tipping has become a hot-button issue. So when a pizza delivery man took to Reddit to share how he received “the best tip ever,” it led to a heartwarming surprise on so many levels.
It was just before Christmas when the delivery man set out on his usual run. He pulled up to one house, and just as he opened his car door, a fluffy cat jumped inside. Of course, he gave it some loving pets and headed to the front door to deliver the pies, assuming the feline belonged to the household.
Plot twist: the cat didn’t belong to them. In fact, the delivery man was told the cat’s previous owner had left him behind.
Screenshot
What happened next made for a wonderful holiday treat. In the subreddit r/cats, Brennan—aka u/renn_is_not_a_loser, who describes himself as a proud animal lover—shared a post titled, “Delivered a pizza and came home with the best tip ever.”
Meet Ringo Starr
“I wanted to share my girl Ringo Starr and her story; she has brought me so much joy and I’m so glad to have her in my life. I work as a pizza delivery driver, and back in December right before Christmas, I delivered a pizza, and when I pulled up, the sweetest cat ran up to my car and hopped in with me when I opened the door. I petted her and put her back out thinking she had a family. When I got to the door, I told the guy how sweet of a cat he had. It turns out she wasn’t his cat; the neighbors that lived there previously moved out and left this gorgeous girl in the streets. I asked if anybody was taking care of her, and nope, she was a stray. They fed her occasionally but couldn’t bring her in due to having too many cats already. Needless to say, when offered to take her with me, I did. I don’t know how someone could abandon such a sweet and friendly, healthy girl.”
He shared more photos from her first vet appointment, showing how healthy, safe, and happy she is now.
Cat lovers unite
The post quickly went viral. It has more than 21,000 likes and hundreds of comments supporting the OP, with some users even sharing their own rescue stories.
One commenter exclaimed, “You both are so amazing. I’m glad you adopted each other,” while another replied, “They’re both angels. They’ve redeemed each other.”
Another commenter expressed gratitude for kindness toward furry friends: “Thank you for taking such a sweet girl out of the cold and the dangers of the outside. A small bit of compassion really can change the life of an animal and fellow humans for the better.”
One commenter sweetly shared a common truth among animal rescuers: “That cat will love you till its last breath.”
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Daffy
Many shared their own adorable rescue stories. Redditor u/Groovy_Cabbage had a similar delivery experience:
“This is Daffy. This picture was my first ever interaction with her. I met her while delivering for Uber Eats. I walked up to the customer’s door, and while handing over their food, she approached us from the outside. I complimented her (of course) thinking she was their cat, but they said that she was just a neighborhood stray who they occasionally fed. They then invited me to take her if I wanted. I didn’t know what to do, as I wasn’t in a position to care for a cat then. However, it was -10 degrees outside, and I was not going to leave her audibly crying out in the cold. She followed me back to my car, and when I opened the back door for her, she immediately knew what to do and hopped in. When I sat down in the driver’s seat, she came forward from the back to come into my lap, and then promptly started purring and making biscuits. I think it was just her way of saying thank you. 🥲 I still think of her often. But I am happy to say that she was quickly adopted from the humane society. I was able to visit her once before then. ❤️ She will always be my little girl.”
“This is Lucious James ‘Launchpad’ O’Malley aka Lou Lou or Lucifer. My daughter insists he’s a raccoon. I rescued him from our downtown storm drain before an unseasonably cold hit. He meowed at me. I meowed back, and after an hour, convinced him to get into my car. He’s …special.”
The other Ringo
Finally, u/DragonWyrd316 may have had the most delightful response of all. They wrote, “Ringo Starr, meet Ringo Starr. Your baby girl is as gorgeous as my baby boy.”
Many women have a hard time doing traditional push-ups. Instead, they opt for “girl push-ups,” where the knees are placed on the ground to accommodate less upper body strength.
But what if this exercise actually took female anatomy into consideration?
That’s the question behind a viral fitness trend on TikTok where women are making one small shift to their arm placement and suddenly realizing they could do full push-ups all along.
What is a “women’s anatomy” push-up?
As explained by Kayla Lee, a women’s anatomy and biomechanics educator, women tend to have a naturally greater “carrying angle” than men, meaning their elbows angle more outward when the arm is straightened. Traditional push-ups, where the elbows are tucked in and the wrists are stacked under the shoulders, don’t always accommodate this, which can lead to difficulty with the exercise, or even joint pain.
However, turning the hands outward at about 45 degrees and placing them slightly wider than shoulder-width accommodates this anatomical difference, making the exercise more doable while also reducing wrist and elbow strain and improving stability.
The reaction
So far, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, with many women hailing it as a game changer.
But, regardless, the real takeaway is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. We should aim for good form, but it has to be a form that works with your body.
Historically speaking
It’s also worth noting that, historically, women haven’t always been taken into account in the fitness industry, or the health industry overall.
Fitness programs either drew a stark divide between men’s and women’s fitness—remember when it was unheard of for women to lift weights at all?—or neglected women’s structural differences, hormonal fluctuations, and need for pelvic floor health.
So it wouldn’t be surprising if push-ups, an exercise believed to have originated with ancient Indian warriors and later popularized by the military, were also shaped through a male-centric lens.
Thankfully, this is changing. For example, equipment manufacturers are redesigning machines with narrower grip spacing and more comfortable chest pad designs. Women are increasingly prioritizing muscle gain to help stave off osteoporosis and age-related muscle loss. There’s also greater awareness of hormonal health and pelvic floor strength, especially postpartum.
And trainers like Kayla Lee offer more female anatomy-friendly exercise alternatives—from bicep curls to dumbbell rows to lateral raises, just to name a few.
In other words, sometimes it’s not about “getting stronger” in the way we’ve been told, but about finally having the tools that work with our bodies instead of against them. If a small shift in hand placement can unlock that kind of confidence, imagine what else becomes possible when fitness truly starts including everyone.
As we know, baby name trends are constantly changing. One generation’s Barbara is another generation’s Bethany. But it doesn’t make it any less odd when you suddenly realize that your very own name has suddenly made it into the “old and unhip” pile. And for many of us 80s babies…that time is now. In a…
As we know, baby name trends are constantly changing. One generation’s Barbara is another generation’s Bethany. But it doesn’t make it any less odd when you suddenly realize that your very own name has suddenly made it into the “old and unhip” pile. And for many of us 80s babies…that time is now.
In a now-viral TikTok post, baby name consultant Colleen Slagen went through the top 100 girl names from 1986 to find which ones “did not age well” and were no longer ranked top 1,000 today. Such a descent from popularity would mark them as what she calls “timestamp names.” Spoiler alert: what might be even more surprising than the names now considered old school are the names that are still going strong.
The fall of the house of ‘Heather’
The first name that Slagen says is “officially out” is Heather. That’s right, not even cult movie fame could help it keep its ranking.
Other extinct names include Erica, Courtney, Lindsay, Tara, Crystal, Shannon, Brandy and Dana. Tiffany, Brittany and Casey are also heading very much in that direction.
“My name is Brandy. The Gen Z hostess at Olive Garden told me that she’d never heard my name before and it was so unique,” one viewer wrote.
However, Andrea ranks “surprisingly high,” and Jessica, Ashley and Stephanie have survived…so far.
Gobsmacked, one person asked “How is Stephanie still in there? I don’t think I’ve met a Stephanie younger than myself at 34.”
But the biggest holdout still belongs to Jennifer. “She was a top 100 name all the way up until 2008. Round of applause for Jennifer,” Slagen says in the clip.
If your name has found its way into relic of a bygone era status, fret not. Slagen, whose name also ranks out of the top 1000, assures it just means “we are creatures of the 80s.” Of course, while we still have baby names that become incredibly common for extended periods of time (looking at you, little Liam and Olivia), the real contemporary trend is going for uniqueness. As an article in The Atlantic notes, for most of American history families tended to name their children after a previous family member, with the goal of blending in, rather than standing out. But now, things have changed.
Recently, Kelley Cole went viral on TikTok for a video in which she shared the names that Gen Z teens think are now officially for “old ladies,” which they read right out of a classroom from 1985. “I was told my name was an old lady’s name by the teenagers on the adolescent unit I was working on,” she begins her video. “I was surprised, so the subject came up of what names are old lady names versus young names.”
Laura Wattenberg, the founder of Namerology, told the outlet that “Parents are thinking about naming kids more like how companies think about naming products, which is a kind of competitive marketplace where you need to be able to get attention to succeed.”
But again, even with a keen eye on individualism, patterns pop up. “The same thing we see in fashion trend cycles, we see in names,” Jessie Paquette, another professional baby namer, told Vox. “We’re seeing Eleanor, Maude, Edith—cool-girl grandma names.”
So who knows…give it time (or maybe just a pop song) and one of these 80s names could make a comeback.
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
An amazingretirement village is accepting guests in Shropshire, England—but instead of catering to elderly people, it’s designed for elderly cats.Shropshire Cat Rescue has been rescuing elderly cats set to be euthanized and providing them with top-notch elder care for over 21 years. Thanks to donations and sponsorship, the retirement village was built in 2009 to create comfortable homes within the rescue for senior and super senior kitties.
The owner and co-founder of the rescue, Marion Micklewright, was tired of seeing older cats get passed over for adoption and subsequently put to sleep simply because they were old. So she decided to do something about it. Shropshire was created in 1991 and moved to Micklewright and her husband Richard’s current home address in 1998. Today there are cats wandering the retirement village who are over 20 years old. One cat, lovingly named Cat, loves to hang out in the little “store” in the tiny cat town, while others lounge in cat condos.
Veterinarian Dr. Scott Miller, TV personality, resident vet onITV’sThis Morning, and owner of an elderly cat himself, visited the feline retirement community in March 2024 to film for his new YouTube Channel, Rescue Vet. He was deeply impressed with how much the retirement community had to offer the cats that call it home and dubbed it the “cutest cat retirement village” according to Shropshire Star in 2024.
Retirement Village model spreads to the U.S.
Shropshire Cat Rescue is a marvel, but it’s not the only retirement home out there for felines. A Florida couple opened a retirement home for elderly cats, too. Terry and Bruce Jenkins decided to open their home for elderly cats in their backyard, rescuing them from “hardship situations.” Affectionately called Cats Cradle, the Jenkins’ rescue doesn’t adopt the old kitties out; they let them live out their years happy and cared for cozy in their backyard (that Bruce unofficially calls “cat Disneyland”). “I found a real purpose in caring for these animals who, in many ways, were a reflection of where I was in life, too,” Terry told AARP in 2023.
What Makes Shropshire Cat Rescue Unique
Wonderfully, there are several retirement homes for cats in America, but Shropshire’s retirement village operates like a small town. It comes complete with a storefront, six “homely chalets,” and the “Moggies Mansion,” a sort of common area for all the cats to congregate.
As of 2024, Shropshire Cat Rescue houses about 19 elderly cats, but have opened the village to “younger but just as in need” cats. They offer adoptions, are open to and eagerly welcome volunteers, and even host local events.
How to Support the PURR Project and Senior Kitties
You can support Shropshire with donations to their PURR Project, a new center complete with it’s own retirement village, nursery, pet hospital, education center, and even staff and volunteer accommodations.
Check it out:
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
According to her daughter, Lucille Ball never considered herself a feminist, but there’s no question she blazed many a trail for women. A working mother in real life, she depicted issues facing housewives with her brilliant television comedy and became the first female studio head in Hollywood. She broke glass ceilings but wasn’t particularly outspoken about women’s rights. In fact, in a 1980 interview with People she said, “They can use my name for equal rights, but I don’t get out there and raise hell because I’ve been so liberated, I have nothing to squawk about.”
Ball empowered women by example—and by speaking her mind. Carol Burnett shared a story on PBS about how Ball was unhappy with a script for her new show, but women at that time didn’t raise concerns about such things. Men could express criticism and demand changes, but women simply didn’t. Ball did—and firmly—despite being non-confrontational by nature. Later she told Burnett, “Kid, that’s when they put the ‘s’ at the end of my name.”
Lucille Ball shuts down TV host
A video has been circulating on social media showing Ball’s no-nonsense way of speaking up when she felt the need to, and people are gushing over it.
Lucille Ball was a massive star, but perhaps best known for the show ‘I Love Lucy By CBS Television – Public Domain
In 1978, Ball participated in a Q & A session with UCLA theater arts students on the television program “America Alive!” The viral clip shows Ball repeatedly telling one of the hosts, David Sheehan, to take his hands off of female audience members when they were asking a question.
“Will you take your hands off, David?” she says as he introduces one young woman. “Take your hands off of her,” she says again as he places his hand on the shoulder of another. “David, would you take your hands away?” she says as he places his hands on another woman in a sparkly gold dress.
People laughed every time, but Ball didn’t so much as crack a smile during her clear, simple, repeated “hands off” admonitions.
For 1978 especially, her advocacy for the women in the audience was extraordinary. Sheehan wasn’t touching these women in a lewd or sexual manner, but he was touching them in a way that he wouldn’t have touched a man who was asking a question. Most people wouldn’t have thought much of it at the time, but Lucille Ball immediately noted it and didn’t let it stand.
Here are some of the best comments
“I love that she didn’t even laugh when the room was. She was not joking.”
“‘Take your hands off her, David,’ should be a sound AND a t-shirt.”
“He kept trying. She kept telling him. Love her.”
“Lucille Ball always reminds me of my grandma. She hated to be seen as delicate, and she hated men that would touch her even more. She would say, stone-faced, ‘Get your paws off.’”
“The audience laughed and she said ‘ain’t nothing funny.’ Love her”
.”This happened to me so much growing up and I noticed from very young the boys weren’t treated this way.”
“Even then she knew how the industry was. I LOVE IT AND LOOOOVE LUCY SO MUCH.”
A commenter on Reddit noted that Ball started her career as a chorus girl and dancer. “She knows every creepy man trick in the book”
The wider culture of handsy TV hosts
Television and game shows from the 70s and 80s are an incredible time capsule of the culture and norms of the era. Sheehan wasn’t the only one who tended to get a little handsy.
It was common for male hosts to kiss female contestants. Richard Dawson, host of The Family Feud, was famous for it. Even our beloved Bob Barker of The Price Is Right often had women suggestively reach into his jacket to fish out their $100 bill.
Richard Dawson kissing all the women in the family. YouTube
There’s a casual lecherous-ness that famous men seemed to get away with easily at the time. For anyone to publicly challenge them on their behavior was absolutely shocking.
Even if Sheehan was casually touching those women out of habit and not ill intent, it’s laudable that Ball made a point of making him aware of it. Unfortunately, women are still having to deal with men touching them without being invited to, but seeing Lucille Ball’s serious face while calling it out is a good reminder that women have been fighting this battle for a long time. Good for her for using her microphone and the respect afforded her to speak up for the young women in her audience.
Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” is a pop song that has stood the test of time. The hit was written by the band’s lead singer, Boy George, and topped the Billboard charts in 1982.
It continues to resonate with younger generations. During a 2018 blind audition on Season 7 of The Voice Australia, singer Sheldon Riley performed an evocative version of the song for judge Boy George himself.
Riley’s personal touches on the hit made a deep impact on Boy George.
Singing to Boy George
In the viral clip, Riley takes a few deep breaths before beginning to sing, accompanied only by a piano. “Give me time to realize my crime,” he croons, as judge Joe Jonas immediately recognizes the tune, along with Boy George.
“I know that song,” Boy George says.
With their ears perked, Riley continues to sing, and Boy George quickly presses the button to turn his chair. Riley immediately becomes emotional as the three remaining judges—Jonas, Delta Goodrem, and Kelly Rowland—also press their buttons.
“I love it!” Boy George continues, as Riley keeps singing a hauntingly sad version of his major pop hit. Riley bursts into tears at the end of his performance, and Boy George sings his praises.
“Great song!” he quips. “Obviously that song is so personal to me—it’s my own personal love story in a way. And it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else singing it. You just added so much kind of sadness to it.”
Boy George quickly compliments Riley on his outfit—a purple top with large faux-fur sleeves and white ripped jeans—with Riley sharing that his look isn’t “normally accepted” by others.
Boy George says to him, “Honey, can I just say…never, ever look for acceptance. Take me as I am—that should be your motto.”
Later in the clip when Riley is choosing his coach, he tells Boy George, “I just want to say thank you so much. You let people like me wear what I want to wear, and put these lashes on that take thousands of years. You just inspire me so much…I’m going to go Team George!”
The history of “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”
In a 2015 interview with The Guardian, Boy George said he wrote the song about his former partner, Kirk Brandon.
“I did play the victim. That was the role I took on: ‘Oh, why are you doing this to me?’ Back in the day, I spent so much time trying to change the people I was in love with–and not trying to change myself,” he said.
And he didn’t think it would be a hit.
“I thought the song was too personal to be a hit and I didn’t want it to be a single. I went to Virgin and stomped my feet and sat on the stairs saying: ‘You’re going to ruin our career before we’ve even started!’, he said. “Our audience needed something to dance to, and ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’ was too slow, too personal, too long. Everything about it was wrong. So its success was a big education for me: I learned that being personal was the key to touching people.”
The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts in March 1983 and spent 25 weeks on the chart.
